Police in Tennessee charged a 19-year-old man in with abducting a 7-year-old girl from her bed and carrying her away, before returning weeks later.
Jeremiah Smith was arrested last week and faces charges of especially aggravated kidnapping, according to court documents obtained by Law&Crime.
On November 6, Memphis Police officers responded to reports of a child abduction at an apartment complex on Johnson Avenue. Upon arrival, they spoke with the victim’s mother, who reported that her daughter had come to her saying that “someone took her from her bed” and brought her outside.
Action News 5 reports that police talked to the child, who provided a description of the man and his outfit.
She recounted how the man walked into her room and covered her mouth before taking her to the basketball court at the apartment complex. There, she successfully broke free from his grasp twice, then ran home.
Investigators noted that surveillance footage from the area captured the incident, matching the victim’s description.
On November 24, over two weeks later, police returned to the apartment complex after security footage showed the suspect, dressed in “similar” clothing, lingering by the back door of the family’s apartment around 5:40 a.m.
A neighbor reported to officers that the suspect approached him asking for a cigarette and claiming his aunt lived next door. The neighbor, familiar with the residents, suspected the defendant was lying.
The neighbor later identified Smith as the man he saw lurking, during a six-person lineup.
Smith remains behind bars on a $150,000 bond. He’s due in court on January 15.
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[Feature Photo via Memphis police]
